Floating restrictor for dispensing nozzle



Sept. 3, 1963 1.. A. BOTKIN 3,102,555

FLOATING RESTRICTOR FOR DISPENSING NOZZLE Filed Dec. 11, 1959 INVENTOR.

A HWZF/VQE' 4 50770 United States Patent Ohio Filed Dec. 11, 1959, Ser. No. 859,014 5 Claims. (Cl. 137-63015) This invention relates to automatic nozzles, particularly fuel dispensing nozzles and is particularly concerned with an arrangement of, and a method for improving the operating characteristics of such a nozzle.

Dispensing nozzles for fuel and the like of the general type with which the present invention is concerned are known and in many cases take the form of a valve body having a fiow passage therethrough with a valve member biased toward position to close the passage. Means is provided for moving the valve member into passage opening position and normally takes the form of a mechanical mechanism for so moving the valve member.

Many times a pilot valve is provided with a small amount of lost motion between the pilot valve and the main valve member so that advantage can be taken of the pressure conditions within the flow passage for assisting in opening the main valve member. While such pilot valves and the like have been of benefit providing for relatively easily opening of the main valve member of a dispensing nozzle of this nature, the disadvantage still remains that the main valve member opens in substantially direct proportion to the amount of movement of the actuating lever and the pilot valve. Accordingly, such a valve operates on the law that the inlet pressure to the valve varies substantially as the square of the rate of fluid flow through the valve. On account of this there is considerable loss of pressure through such a valve and the best operating characteristics are not obtained.

In view of the foregoing, a primary object of this present invention is the provision of a dispensing nozzle or the like having improved operating characteristics.

A particular object of the present invention is the provision of a fuel dispensing nozzle or the like in which there is only a small change in inlet pressure of the nozzle over a relatively wide range of rates of fluid flow through the nozzle.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a dispensing nozzle or the like in which the opening of the nozzle is primarily accomplished by movement of a relatively small pilot valve with the fluid pressure standing in the flow passage through the valve serving to move the main valve member thereby relieving the operating mechanism of the load normally imposed thereon by the main valve member.

Still a further object of this invention is the provision of an improved automatic dispensing nozzle of the nature referred to above in which wide variation in the rate of fluid flow through the valve can be had without a corresponding wide change in the inlet pressure of the nozzle while at the same time not effecting the operation of the automatic trip of the nozzle.

These and other objects and advantages will become more apparent upon reference tothe drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view through an automatic dispensing nozzle according to the present inventtion;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary sectional view drawn at enlarged scale showing the operation of a floating restrictor forming a part of the valve structure when the valve is open to permit fluid flow therethrough.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, FIGURE 1 discloses a dispensing nozzle or valve having a body 3,192,555 Patented Sept. 3, 1963 with a flow passage 12 therein. This nozzle is particularly adapted for the overhead filling of tanks and the like, but it will be apparent that the principles of the present invention can be adapted to other types of dispensing nozzles. Body 19 has a coupler 14 mounted on the discharge end thereof by means of which the nozzle can be attached to the inlet fitting of a tank or container to be filled. The discharge passage 12, of course, extends through the coupler and there are provided the sealing rings 16 by means of which sealing engagement with the inlet fitting is effective.

At the inlet end thereof passage '12 is provided with a screen 18 for screening the incoming fluids and between the inlet and outlet ends of passage 12 is a valve seat 20 forming a portion of a venturi and adapted for engagement by a valve member generally indicated at 22 and which comprises a resilient disc 24 that directly engages the valve seat. Disc 24 is carried on the end of a piston 26 which extends sealingly into a cylinder 28 forming a portion of a cap member 30 that is threaded into an aperture in the back end of the valve body in alignment with the aforementioned valve seat. The piston and cylinder make up a d-ashpot toprevent the valve from slamming closed and otherwise influence the main valve member as will become apparent hereinafter.

Also attached to the piston and extending outwardly therefrom into the discharge end of the passage 12 is a restrictor plug 32. This plug forms a means for securing disc 24 in position against the end of the piston and is also by way of being a restrictor element and tapers inwardly toward a smaller outer end. Under all conditions of operation of the valve the restrictor plug 32 is at least partially disposed within the venturi portion of the fiow passage.

A compression spring 36 is provided inside cylinder 28 which engages piston 26 thus biasing piston 26, disc 24, and restrictor plug 32 outwardly to bring the disc into engagement with valve seat 22.

The piston 26 itself is generally hollow and is also provided with a valve seat 38 on the inside through which the interior of the piston and the inside of cylinder 28 can communicate via passages 34 with the inside of restrictor plug 32 and which restrictor plug, as will be seen, is open at its outer end so as to communicate with flow passage 12 downstream of the venturi portion thereof.

Valve seat 38 in piston 26 is normally engaged by a pilot valve member 40 urged toward the seat by a spring 41. Pilot valve member 40 carries a resilient ring for directly engaging the said seat and is mounted sealingly on an actuating rod 42 which, in turn, extends sealingly through cap 30 and a suitable fitting therein to an operating lever 44 to which the rod is pivotally connected. A snap ring 46 on the rod on one side of pilot valve 40, and a shoulder on the other side thereof on rod 42 provides means for effecting a driving connection "between the rod and the pilot valve member in both directions.

The rod 42 extends reciprocably through the portion of piston 26 having the apertures 34 therein and carries a second snap ring 48 toward the outer end thereof which is adapted for engaging piston 26 whereby to move the piston and the valve disc and restrictor plug connected thereto making up the main valve member, rightwardly when the pilot valve member 40 is withdrawn by rightward movement of rod 42.

Rod 42 is adapted for being moving rightwardly by movement of lever 44, the upper end of which abuts a control rod 50, forming a part of an automatic trip mechanism. Control rod 5i) is urged rightwardly by a spring 52, and is retained in that position by rollers 54 of the trip mechanism which are disposed in a short off-set portion 56 of a slot 58 in a member attached to rod 50. The rollers 54 are mounted on a carrier block 60 attached to a diaphragm 62 mounted in closing relation to a cavity 64 that communicates with the throat of the venturi portion of the flow passage immediately downstream of the valve seat by way of a channel 68. A spring 70 in cavity 64 urges the diaphragm and carrier member upwardly so that when lever '44 is in its full line position in FIG- URE l, and spring 52 has moved control rod 50 rightwardly, the rollers 54 will be spring urged into short offset portion 56 of slot 58. However, when the diaphragm is moved downwardly by a reduced pressure therebeneath to bring the rollers downwardly into alignment with the elongated portion of slot 58, the valve will automatically close because the spring means 36 urging the valve closed will overcome the bias of the smaller spring means 52 acting on the control rod.

Normally, the fiow of fluid through the passage of the nozzle will cause a reduced pressure in cavity 64 on account of passage 68 leading to the downstream side of the valve seat 20. This reduced pressure however, is relieved via passage means 72 until the liquid level in the container being filled reaches a point where the passage means 72 is blocked off thereby and whereupon the reduced pressure referred to will be effective for fiexing the diaphragm downwardly thereby bringing about tripping off of the rollers so that the nozzle will close automatically. Such trip mechanisms are well known.

According to the present invention, when the nozzle is opened by moving lever 44 back until the lower end thereof is latched over the latch element 80, the rod 42 will be moved rightwardly and pilot valve member 40' will move therewith against the bias of its spring 41 and when the pilot valve member is substantially completely opened and at the extreme of its rightward movement, snap ring 48 will engage piston 26 and commence rightward movement of the piston, and the valve disc and the restrictor plug connected therewith.

The face of the main valve member that its then subjected to the pressure standing in flow passage 12 is greater than the area of the piston within cylinder 28 and accordingly the main valve member will be biased rightwardly by the pressure.

By utilizing the floating restrictor plug according to my invention it has been found that at a predetermined inlet pressure to the valve the rightward thrust on the main valve member due to the differential area referred to above is such that the biasing spring 36 therefor will commence to be compressed thus withdrawing the tapered restrictor plug from the venturi portion of the flow passage. This, of course, will increase the flow area and permit an increased flow rate with approximately the same inlet pressure in flow passage (12 as was originally required to initiate compression of the spring 36.

In a typical instance, the inlet pressure of the nozzle will increase from a minimum of about eight pounds per square inch to approximately thirteen pounds per square inch as the flow rate through the nozzle is increased from fifteen to twenty-five gallons per'minute. However, as the inlet pressure is increased from thirteen pounds per square inch to fifteen pounds per square inch, it is found that, with the arrangement of the present invention, the flow rate through the nozzle will increase from about twenty-five gallons per minute to over one hundred gallons per minute.

With the type of valve being tested one hundred gallons per minute represented the flow rate at which the main valve member was in its fully open position and accordingly, further increases'in tfiow rate through the nozzle follow the well :known square law with the inlet pressure increasing as the second power of the rate of flow through the valve. However, over the important flow range of from twenty-five gallons per minute to somewhat over one hundred gallons per minute the increase in inlet pressure was only from thirteen pounds per square inch to fifteen pounds per square inch. It will be appreciated that the flow rate range within the limits of the valve is substantially increased by the practice of the present invention without the customary corresponding rapid increase in inlet pressure.

I claim:

1. In a vacuum trip nozzle having a control valve; a valve body having a how passage therethrough with a venturi portion having a throat, a valve seat in the venturi portion on the upstream side of said throat, a main valve member in the flow passage engageable with said seat, a piston attached to the upstream side of said valve member, a cylinder portion in the valve body in which the piston is reciprocable, a frusto-conical shaped restrictor plug attached to the face of said valve member and extending through said throat into the downstream side of said venturi portion, a coil spring disposed in said cylinder urging the valve member towards said seat, passage means extending through said valve member, piston,

and plug connecting the interior of said cyilnder with the said venturi portion on the downstream side of said throat, a pilot valve member within said piston and controlling said fiow passage downstream of said seat, a rod attached to said pilot valve and extending reciprocably through said valve member from the upstream side thereof, said rod having lost motion means for abutting said main valve member on the downstream side thereof and said main valve remaining seated under the balancing fluid pressure conditions, said rod being reciprocable to cause lifting of said main valve member slightly off its seat upon movement of said pilot valve to its fully open position, said lifting of the main valve member off its seat exposing the face thereof to pressure on the upstream side of the throat of said venturi portion whereby said main valve is acted on by difierential pressure causing it to float away from its seat under the resulting influence of said differentialpressure and the said spring acting thereon, means comprising a restricted vent between said cylinder and the how passage upstream of said venturi portion, and said main valve member being movable on said rod from said slightly open position to its fully open position while said rod remains in one and the same position.

2. In a vacuum trip nozzle having a control valve; such as a fuel dispensing nozzle; a body, a flow passage through the body having a venturi portion therein with a throat, a seat in the venturi portion on the upstream side of said throat, a main valve member in the body-v engageable with said seat, a piston attached to the upstream side Olf said valve member, a cylinder in the body in which the piston is reciprocable, a frusto-conical restrictor plug attached to the face of said valve member and extending through the throat of said venturi portion to the downstream side thereof, a coil spring disposed in the cylinder urging said valve member toward said seat, passage means extending through the valve member and piston and restrictor plug connecting the interior of said cylinder with said venturi portion downstream of the said throat thereof, a pilot valve member disposed in said cylinder and adapted for engaging and closing said passage means, a spring in the cylinder biasing said pilot valve member into closing relation with said passage means, a rod attached to said pilot valve and extending reciprooably through the cylinder and valve member for lifting the pilot valve memher away from the passage means while said valve remains seated under the balancing fluid pressure conditions, and lost motion abutment means on said rod for engaging said main valve and lifting it oh its seat slightly only when the pilot valve member is fully open thereby to expose the face of said main valve member to pressure on the upstream side of said throat whereby the main valve member floats under the combined influence of the differential fluid pressure and spring acting thereon, said main valve member being movable on said rod from said slightly open position to its fully open position while said rod remains in one and the same position, and means comprising a restricted vent between said cylinder and the flow passage upstream of said venturi portion.

3. In a vacuum trip nozzle having a control valve; a valve body having a flow passage therethrough with a ven: turi portion having a throat, a valve seat in thewenturi portion on the upstream side of said throat, 1a mam valve member in the flow passage engageable with said seat, a piston attached to the upstream side of said valve member, a cylinder portion in the valve body in which the piston is reciprocable, a frusto-conical shaped restrictor plug attached to the face of said valve member and extending through said throat into the downstream side of said venturi portion, a spring disposed in said cylinder urging the valve member towards said seat, passage means extending through said valve member, piston and plug connecting the interior of said cylinder with the said venturi portion on the downstream side of said throat, :a pilot valve member within said piston and controlling said flow passage downstream of said seat, a reciprocable rod attached to said pilot valve and extending through said valve member from the upstream side thereof, means on said rod for abutting said main valve member on the downstream side thereof whereby said rod upon reciprocation lifts said main valve member off its seat only slightly upon movement of said rod to open position, said main valve remaining seated under the balancing inlet fluid pressure until said pilot valve is moved to fully open position, said lifting of the main valve member off its seat exposing the face thereof to pressure on the upstream side of the throat of said venturi portion whereby the valve is acted on by differential pressure whereby the said main valve member floats under the resulting influence of said differential pressure and said spring acting thereon to its open position, and means comprising a restricted vent between said cylinder and the flow passage upstream of said venturi portion, said main valve member being movable on said rod from said slightly open position to its fully open position while said rod remains in one and the same position, said pilot valve member being mounted on said rod on the upstream side of said valve member.

4. In a vacuum trip nozzle having a control valve; a valve body having a flow pas-sage therethrough with a venturi portion having a throat, a valve seat in the venturi portion on the upstream side of said throat, a main valve member in the flow passage engageable with said seat, a piston attached to the upstream side of said valve member, a cylinder portion in the valve body in which the piston is reciprocable, a frusto-conioal shaped restrictorplug attached to the face of said valve member and extending through said throat into the downstream side of said venturi portion, a spring disposed in said cylinder urging the valve member towards said seat, passage means extending through said valve member, piston, and plug connecting the interior of said cylinder with the said venturi portion on the downstream side of said throat, a pilot valve member within said piston and controlling said flow passage downstream of said seat, a rod attached to said pilot valve and extending reciprooably through said valve member from the upstream side thereof and having lost motion means for abutting said main valve member on the downstream side thereofwhereby said rod is reciprocable for lifting the main valve member ofl its seat only slightly upon movement of said pilot valve to its fully open position, said main valve remaining seated under the balancing fluid pressure conditions until said pilot valve reaches its fully open position, said lifting of the main valve member off its seat exposing the face thereof to pressure on the upstream side of the throat of said venturi position whereby said main valve is acted on by differential pressure to urge it in its opening direction and whereby the said main valve member floats away from its seat under the resulting influence of said differential pressure and the said spring acting thereon, and means comprising a restricted vent between said cylinder and the flow passage upstream of said venturi portion, said main valve member being movable on said rod from said slightly open position to its fully open position while said rod remains in one and the same position, and said pilot valve member being mounted on said rod on the upstream side of said main valve member and operable upon movement of said rod for engaging and closing said passage means. I

5. In a vacuum trip nozzle having a control valve such as a fuel dispensing nozzle; *a body, a flow passage through the body having a venturi portion therein with a throat, a seat in said venturi portion on the upstream side of said throat, a valve member in the body engageable with said seat, a piston attached to the upstream side of said valve member, a cylinder in the body in which the piston is reciprocable, a frusto-conical shaped restrictor plug 'attached to the face of said valve member and extending through the throat of said venturi portion to the downstream side thereof, a coil spring disposed in the cylinder urging said valve member toward said seat, passage means extending through the valve member and piston and restrictor plug connecting the interior of said cylinder with said venturi portion downstream of the said throat thereof, a pilot valve member mounted in said cylinder and adapted for engaging and closing said passage means, a spring in the cylinder biasing said pilot valve member into closing relation with said passage means, a rod extending reciprocably through the cylinder and valve member and attached to the pilot valve member for lifting the pilot valve member away from the passage means while said main valve remains seated under the balancing fluid pressure conditions, abutment means on the rod on the downstream side of said main valve member and adapted for engaging the main valve member and lifting it off its seat slightly only when the pilot valve member is completely open thereby to expose the face of said main valve member to pressure on the upstream side of said throat where by the main valve member floats under the combined influence of the differential pressure acting thereon and said spring acting thereon, said main valve member being movable on said rod from said slightly open position to its fully open position while said rod remains in one and the same position, and means comprising a restricted vent between the cylinder and the fiow passage upstream of said venturi portion, said restrictor plug having a cylindrical portion adjacent the valve member and with said frusto-conical portion tapering inwardly therefrom to its outer end, said restrictor plug being of sufficient length that the outer end of the restrictor plug is always on the downstream side of said throat of the said venturi portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 991,230 Noyes May 2, 1911 1,831,713 Knowlton Nov. 10, 1931 2,674,326 Sie'bens Apr. 6, 1954 2,805,039 Angelery Sept. 3, 1957 2,851,065 Klikunas Sept. 9, 1958 2,966,167 Jensen Dec. 27, 1960 OTHER REFERENCES Sening, German application, 1,014,810, printed Aug. 29, 1957 (K1. 47 gl. 35/02) (2 pp. spec, 1 sht. dwg.) 137-63015. 

1. IN A VACUUM TRIP NOZZLE HAVING A CONTROL VALVE; A VALVE BODY HAVING A FLOW PASSAGE THERETHROUGH WITH A VENTURI PORTION HAVING A THROAT, A VALVE SEAT IN THE VENTURI PORTION ON THE UPSTREAM SIDE OF SAID THROAT, A MAIN VALVE MEMBER IN THE FLOW PASSAGE ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID SEAT, A PISTON ATTACHED TO THE UPSTREAM SIDE OF SAID VALVE MEMBER, A CYLINDER PORTION IN THE VALVE BODY IN WHICH THE PISTON IS RECIPROCABLE, A FRUSTO-CONICAL SHAPED RESTRICTOR PLUG ATTACHED TO THE FACE OF SAID VALVE MEMBER AND EXTENDING THROUGH SAID THROAT INTO THE DOWNSTREAM SIDE OF SAID VENTURI PORTION, A COIL SPRING DISPOSED IN SAID CYLINDER URGING THE VALVE MEMBER TOWARDS SAID SEAT, PASSAGE MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID VALVE MEMBER, PISTON, AND PLUG CONNECTING THE INTERIOR OF SAID CYLINDER WITH THE SAID VENTURI PORTION ON THE DOWNSTREAM SIDE OF SAID THROAT, A PILOT VALVE MEMBER WITHIN SAID PISTON AND CONTROLLING SAID FLOW PASSAGE DOWNSTREAM OF SAID SEAT, A ROD ATTACHED TO SAID PILOT VALVE AND EXTENDING RECIPROCABLY THROUGH SAID VALVE MEMBER FROM THE UPSTREAM SIDE THEREOF, SAID ROD HAVING LOST MOTION MEANS FOR ABUTTING SAID MAIN VALVE MEMBER ON THE DOWNSTREAM SIDE THEREOF AND SAID MAIN VALVE REMAINING SEATED UNDER THE BALANCING FLUID PRESSURE CONDITIONS, SAID ROD BEING RECIPROCABLE TO CAUSE LIFTING OF SAID MAIN VALVE MEMBER SLIGHTLY OFF ITS SEAT UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID PILOT VALVE TO ITS FULLY OPEN POSITION, SAID LIFTING OF THE MAIN VALVE MEMBER OFF ITS SEAT EXPOSING THE FACE THEREOF TO PRESSURE ON THE UPSTREAM SIDE OF THE THROAT OF SAID VENTURI PORTION WHEREBY SAID MAIN VALVE IS ACTED ON BY DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE CAUSING IT TO FLOAT AWAY FROM ITS SEAT UNDER THE RESULTING INFLUENCE OF SAID DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE AND THE SAID SPRING ACTING THEREON, MEANS COMPRISING A RESTRICTED VENT BETWEEN SAID CYLINDER AND THE FLOW PASSAGE UPSTREAM OF SAID VENTURI PORTION, AND SAID MAIN VALVE MEMBER BEING MOVABLE ON SAID ROD FROM SAID SLIGHTLY OPEN POSITION TO ITS FULLY OPEN POSITION WHILE SAID ROD REMAINS IN ONE AND THE SAME POSITION. 